For most of my life I was kind of lukewarm about zucchini. When I was a kid, my mom would dip it in egg and fry it, something I liked ok, but didn't love. It wasn't until I discovered how great grilled zucchini can taste (and my mom started making creamed" zucchini) that I really started appreciating the zucchini that sprout up overnight in the garden.

This method for How to Grill Zucchini is a recipe you should make in the summer when the zucchini are fresh from the garden or farmer's market. Since you want rather thick slices of zucchini, it's the perfect way to cook those that miss getting picked and get a bit too large.

Zucchini can be easily cooked on a stove-top grill pan with ridges if you don't have an outside grill. The same type of preparation is also good on yellow summer squash or eggplant. Once you've tried it, I promise this way of cooking zucchini will become a part of your regular summer rotation for the grill. (If you're making this recipe to be Paleo, Vegan, or Gluten-Free, be sure to choose a salad dressing that works with that eating plan.)

(How to Grill Zucchini was updated with better photos, June 2016.)

I like to use a mandoline to slice the zucchini on the diagonal for more surface area on the grill. Mix together your favorite vinaigrette, garlic powder, and a few teaspoons of dried Italian herbs like basil, oregano, or rosemary. Put the zucchini in a single layer in a heavy Ziploc bag, dump in the marinade, and let it marinate in the fridge for several hours (or all day while you're at work.)

When it's time to cook, let the zucchini drain well in a colander placed in the sink while you preheat the grill to medium-high.

Lay zucchini on an angle to the grill grates, and if you want those criss-cross grill marks, rotate each piece after 3-4 minutes. Then turn and cook a few minutes more on the second side. I cook zucchini about 10-12 minutes total, or slightly less if you want some crunch left in them.

And here's the previous photo for this recipe which wasn't bad, but now I like to cut them on the diagonal.

Grilled Zucchini - Perfect Every Time!
(Makes about 4 servings; easy recipe that Kalyn came up with and has used for years.)

Ingredients:
2 zucchinis 10-12 inches long, sliced in slices 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick (I like to use a mandoline to slice on the diagonal)
1/2 cup of your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing
(for South Beach choose dressing with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving; I like Newman's Own Original Recipe Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing dressing for this)
1 tsp. garlic powder or garlic puree (optional, but good)
1-2 tsp. dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or a combination (optional)

Instructions:

Cut zucchini into slices, making sure the slices are the same thickness. Combine salad dressing with garlic powder and dried herbs of your choice, if using. (I like this both with and without the extra flavorings. This is one place where fresh herbs are not better.) Put zucchini slices into Ziploc bag, pour in marinade and let zucchini marinate in the fridge 4 hours or longer, even as long as all day if desired. When you're ready to cook, drain zucchini into a colander placed in the sink.

To cook zucchini, preheat grill to medium-high. (You can only hold your hand there for 3-4 seconds.) You can spray the grill with non-stick spray if desired, but you don't really need it.

Place zucchini on grill on a diagonal to the grill grates, keeping a spray bottle handy for taming any flames that shoot up from the oil in the marinade. After 3 or 4 minutes, check for grill marks, and when you see them rotate zucchini the opposite direction. Cook 3 or 4 more minutes on first side.

Turn zucchini to second side and cook a few minutes more, or until zucchini is starting to soften, with the outside slightly charred and browned. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve hot.

Zucchini or other low-glycemic summer vegetables grilled this way are perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet, as long as you use low-sugar vinaigrette with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving. I like Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar or Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette which has only 1 gram of sugar per serving. For vegan, Paleo, or Whole 30, be sure to choose an approved dressing.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Ways to Cook Zucchini:
(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

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37 comments:

Have a great time at Blogher!We sometimes like to use Italian dressing as the main ingredient in marinating london broil (for grilling).and Kalyn, did you get my e-mail about my WHB submission a few days ago (yes, I sent it a bit early this week)?

This zucchini was so yummy- we were fighting over the last piece! (Obviously, I need to make more next time. LOL) Thank you so much for sharing the recipe to this summertime treat. It is a new fav at our house. YUM

My brother cooks zucchini on the grill and it's terrific! He slices it the long way, though, so you end up with these long thick slabs. Not so much cutting up into little pieces (for the cook, anyway).

We made this recipe with zucchini and squash last night for dinner, and it was great. I had been looking for a simple marinade that didn't involve balsamic vinegar and this was perfect! I didn't have time to let them marinate for the full four hours, but it was delicious anyway. Next time I'll start earlier :) Thanks for posting!

I have been searching for recipes for zucchinu and came across your site. We are trying this for dinner tonight (it is currently marinating in the fridge)! :) Thanks so much for sharing. I will be checking back often!

Just made this tonight and it was great even though it only sat for about 15-20 min in the marinade. I had long skinny zukes and summer squash so I cut them lenghwise into spears. My son called them zucchini and summer squash "fries." We loved them. Thanks!!

Grilled Zucchini is one of those great tastes of summer -- to us, at least. I'll do up extra to serve at room temp with a little Smoked Provalone and fresh tomatoes as a sandwich. Probably not very SB friendly, but so worth it!

Since there's no fear of cross contamination, if you put the left over marinade in the 'fridge, it's a nice dressing on the sandwich. Oh yum!

A great sauce for that would be some Greek yogurt that has one pressed or finely chopped garlic clove mixed in it, really good and very easy. I have a Turkish friend who serves this; it's not as complicated as tzatziki, and ready in a minute.

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